Their music is heavily influenced by guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, as well as Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana. Mato Nanji's style and skill has drawn comparisons to each of these guitarists. The band has also shared the stage with artists of varying musical genres such as B.B. King, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, the Indigo Girls, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews Band, and Los Lonely Boys. The band has headlined its own tours several times.
The Nakota Nation members grew up on South Dakota's Yankton Indian Reservation, where their father, Greg Zephier became a spokesperson for Native American rights. A musician in his own right during the 60s and '70s, Zephier provided his children with records from blues musicians such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Freddie King, and taught them to play their respective instruments. The family started touring together, and soon the children were performing on their own.
The group released their debut album, Things We Do on Pachyderm Records in 1998. In 1999, Indigenous won three Native American Music Awards for their debut record, including two top honors: Album of the Year and Group of the Year. A video for the lead single and title track was directed by Chris Eyre (acclaimed director of Smoke Signals) won the American Indian Film Festival award and was shown three times at the Sundance Film Festival. The track "Now That You're Gone" peaked at #22 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, making Indigenous one of the first Native American bands to break into that realm. Amazon.com named the band Blues Artist of the Year, and soon after they were featured on broadcast shows such as NPR's "All Things Considered", "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "CBS Saturday Morning," and "Austin City Limits." B.B. King became a self-proclaimed fan, and invited the band to join his Blues Festival Tour.
Later that year, Indigenous released an EP, Blues This Morning, and a full-length album, Live at Pachyderm Studios in 1999, and continued the momentum. Live at Pachyderm won two Native American Music Awards for Best Blues Album and Group of the Year in 2000. Their next LP, Circle, settled into place in Billboard's Top 10 blues albums after its release in 2000.
Following this was the 2003 self-titled album, Indigenous (Zomba), and then another EP, Long Way Home in 2005 (on their own record label). This seven-song EP contains five originals, as well as an acoustic version of a song from Things We Do, "Rest Of My Days", and a live version of their first single, "Things We Do". After recording their 2006 album, Chasing the Sun (Vanguard) the band split. Mato took the Indigenous name but left brother Pte and sister Wanbdi in favor of a new band. In 2007 Mato parted company with Vanguard Records and is now looking for a new record label.
All Night Long
Indigenous Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Defy understanding
If only they knew where the love they seek
Is truly to be found
Into the arms of night with their dreams held tight
In their endless flight through the failing light
The places you go thinking that love may find you
When love is behind you
Find their own way home
Into the arms of night with your endless fright
Into the breach in search of the new
Though after so many times
You will have betrayed that too
Into the arms of night with your endless fright
With your eyes all bright and your prey in sight
Into the arms of somebody new
Until that's no longer so,
And you are no longer true
The lyrics of Indigenous's song All Night Long explore the theme of seeking for love and understanding but failing to find it. The song starts by noting how people's actions in search of love defy understanding. The singer laments that if only people knew where genuine love could be found, they wouldn't go to places or do things that are ultimately futile. The song highlights the irony of people seeking for love where it can't actually be found.
The second verse of All Night Long continues the theme of seeking for love in vain. The singer notes that people go to different places, thinking they will find love when love is waiting for them elsewhere. The lyrics suggest that people need to stop looking for love in the wrong places and let love find them. However, this is not an easy feat, and the artist notes that people often fall short even when they find love. Ultimately, the song suggests that the search for love is endless and can be tiring, leading to one betraying themselves and others.
Overall, Indigenous's song All Night Long portrays love as something that is elusive and hard to come by. The song encourages people to stop looking for it in the wrong places, and instead, trust that love will find them.
Line by Line Meaning
The things people do looking for understanding
People engage in all sorts of actions to gain a better understanding of life.
Defy understanding
These actions can often seem inexplicable or puzzling to others.
If only they knew where the love they seek
If only people realized that what they're actually seeking is love.
Is truly to be found
Love can easily be found if you look in the right places.
Into the arms of night with their dreams held tight
People frequently escape to their dreams when seeking love or a sense of understanding.
In their endless flight through the failing light
People may feel as though they're constantly searching for something or running away from something, even as time passes and opportunities disappear.
The places you go thinking that love may find you
People travel to various locations believing that they'll find love there.
When love is behind you
While love can be found in different places, it's important to remember that it may have been waiting for you all along.
It's all you can do to let the angels
Sometimes we just have to let fate take its course and allow good things to happen without interference.
Find their own way home
Instead of fighting for what we think is best, we should trust that there's a higher power guiding us to where we belong.
Into the arms of night with your endless fright
Despite our fears, we often embark on new journeys and take risks in the hopes of finding love or understanding.
Into the breach in search of the new
We leave our comfort zones and take a leap of faith in search of something better.
Though after so many times
However, after numerous attempts, we may become disillusioned and lose hope in finding love or understanding.
You will have betrayed that too
We may even lose faith in ourselves and our ability to find happiness or fulfillment.
With your eyes all bright and your prey in sight
At times, we may be so fixated on finding love or understanding that we lose sight of what really matters.
Into the arms of somebody new
We may find temporary satisfaction in the arms of someone new, but this doesn't guarantee long-lasting happiness or fulfillment.
Until that's no longer so,
Until we realize that our fixation on love or understanding isn't leading us anywhere meaningful,
And you are no longer true
And we stop being true to ourselves and our values.
Contributed by Emily R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.